Living in your home

Rights, Responsibilities and Repairs

Your Agent/Landlord is responsible for...

🟧 Keeping in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling house, including drains, gutters and external pipes.

🟧 Keeping in repair and proper working order: the installations for the supply of water, gas and electricity, sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences), heating rooms and heating water.

🟧 There is a recommended procedure for reporting repairs. Click here for further details.

🟧 Providing you with the agents/landlords full name and address. The address must be in England or Wales.

🟧 Providing you with a copy of the valid current Gas Safety Certificate and HMO Licence (where applicable). (For further information see our Code of Standards)

🟧 Allowing you to 'peacefully enjoy' your accommodation (unless there is an emergency).

🟧 ​Agents/Landlords have the right to enter the property at reasonable times to carry out the repairs for which they are responsible and to inspect the condition and the state of repair of the property. They must give at least 24 hour notice in writing of an inspection. It would be helpful to set out the arrangements for access and procedures for getting repairs done in the tenancy agreement.

🟧 Providing you with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

You are responsible for...

🟧 Acting in a 'Tenant-like manner'. This means you should perform the smaller tasks around the house such as: changing a light bulb; unblocking sinks when clogged with waste; and cleaning the windows when necessary.

🟧 Not damaging the house, if you do then you and your guests are responsible for the repairs.

🟧 Refuse collections. Remember to find out the collection days from your local council. Put the wheelie bins out - and bring it back in again, it's illegal to leave them on the street. You can find your bin collection dates by going to the following websites: Manchester City Council or Salford City Council.

🟧 Securing the property when you go away - lock all the doors and windows!

🟧 Being aware of the impact of noise and parties.

🟧 Reporting all repairs needed to the agent/landlord (preferably in writing). The landlord's/agent's responsibility to repair begins only when they are aware of the problem. If the fault is not corrected within a reasonable period of time (dependant upon the nature of the disrepair) then seek advice from Manchester Student Homes, the Students' Union Advice Centre, Accommodation Office or Citizen's Advice.

🟧 For more information, watch this video about living in your home.

 

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Managing your energy bills

Manchester Student Homes has partnered with Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) to help you get the best out of your student home with advice on energy usage, efficiency and bills. Here are some top tips to managing your bills:

 

🟧 Set up a direct debit – Most energy providers will allow you to set up a monthly direct debit based on an average usage throughout the year. This will allow you to build up credit in the summer and avoid large bills in the winter, making it easier to manage your budget. 

🟧 Take regular meter readings – Submit a meter reading to your energy provider every month to ensure you’re paying enough to keep on top of your usage and avoid any surprise bills! 

🟧 Shop around for the best rate – Energy prices and standing charges can vary by provider, so make sure you look around for the best rate. It may also be cheaper to go on a fixed or flexible tariff, depending on the energy prices at the time you set your utilities up. 

 

Need advice on managing your energy useage? Vist our energy efficiency page for a list of top tips!

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Being a Good Neighbour

Meet your neighbours! Living in an off-campus area means you are now part of a vibrant and diverse local community which extends further than your immediate neighbours. Take the time to get to know your area and introduce yourself to the people who live near you. It may be worth exchanging numbers should you need to contact each other in case of an emergency.

You can see look at our Welcome to the Community guide for more information.

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Safety and Security

Download the WalkSafe+ app, the UK's leading personal safety phone app. You can use it to share your journey with trusted contacts, access safety information and report concerns to help keep safe while moving around the city. Download the SafeZone app, which you can use in areas of Fallowfield and Victoria Park, as well as The University of Manchester campus, Manchester Metropolitan University campus and the University of Salford campus. You can use the SafeZone app to get assistance on any of these campuses — no matter which of the universities you attend. 

 

If you’re a victim of crime, or witness a crime, you can report it to the police on 101, visit your local police station or report it online. If you’re in danger, or it’s an emergency, call 999.  If you or someone you know has experienced or witnessed any form of bullying, harassment, discrimination, gender based violence, hate or micro-aggressions, or have a safeguarding concern, you can report it anonymously or get support from a trained advisor through Report + Support at The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University. 

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Home Security

Reduce the risk of burglary by making sure your home is secure:

🟧 Keep doors and windows locked (make sure that window lock keys are supplied).

🟧 Use your house alarm.

🟧 Add window alarms to your ground floor windows.

🟧 Use light timers to make your home look occupied.

🟧 Check the ID of any contractors and confirm with the landlord if contractors show up to ‘repair’ something unexpectedly.

🟧 Keep valuable items out of sight.

🟧 Register any valuable property (eg. laptops, tablets, smart phones) on Immobilise free of charge. This will assist the police to return lost or stolen items to their rightful owners and also acts as a deterrent to offenders.

 

You can pick up free personal attack alarms, window alarms and light timers from the Manchester Student Homes Pod.

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Gas Safety

You must remember...

🟧 …to turn off the gas supply to the property if you suspect a leak of gas or carbon monoxide fumes.

🟧 …to report gas leaks to National Grid on 0800 111 999.

🟧 …not use a gas appliance if you think it's unsafe.

Do’s

🟧 Make sure the gas meter and cut-off valve are easily accessible.

🟧 Make sure you get instructions on how to use appliances, particularly gas boilers.

🟧 Report any problems with a gas appliance immediately to your landlord, in writing.

Don'ts

🟧 Do your own DIY repairs on any gas appliance.

🟧 Leave anything cooking whilst you are out of the room.

 

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Electrical Safety

Did you know that…

🟧 …your landlord has to make sure the electrical installation in the house is safe.

🟧 …any electrical appliances supplied by your landlord have to be safe to use.

🟧 …there should be user guides in the house for each appliance.

Do’s

🟧 Let your landlord have access to your house to test the electrical installation (with 24 hours written notice).

🟧 Report any appliances that don't work straight away to your landlord, in writing.

🟧 Use appliances according to the user instructions.

Don'ts

🟧 Plug too many appliances into one socket.

🟧 Ignore worn flexes on appliances.

🟧 Do your own DIY repairs on appliances or sockets.

 

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Fire Safety

Your landlord has to provide adequate fire precautions and means of escape from fire. Manchester Student Homes works closely with accredited landlords, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, and Manchester City Council to ensure fire safety requirements are met in accredited properties. However, not all landlords are accredited with Manchester Student Homes. If you are considering renting accommodation that isn’t accredited, please also note the “Non-Accredited Landlords” section below.

What to look out for

🟧 Smoke detectors should be in the hall and on the landing. They may also be in other rooms.

🟧 If there are locks on the bedroom doors, there should be no keyhole on the bedroom side (so you don’t need to use a key to escape if there’s a fire).

🟧 The front door lock should have no keyhole on the inside (so you don’t need to use a key to escape if there’s a fire).

🟧 A fire blanket in the kitchen (there may be others elsewhere in the house but it’s important to have them in the kitchen).

Do's

🟧 Make sure the house has all of the above. If not, move on to the next one and let us know.

🟧 Get together with your housemates to come up with an escape plan in case of an incident.

🟧 Battery fire/smoke alarms are tested on a weekly basis.

Don'ts

🟧 Disconnect smoke alarms - this not only puts your life at risk but also invalidates the landlord's insurance.

🟧 Prevent your landlord from entering your house (with 24 hours written notice) to service extinguishers or the fire detection system.

🟧 Tamper with the smoke detector heads – they are wired to the mains.

🟧 Block any passageways, the landing, hallway etc., with bikes, furniture, plants, traffic cones, etc.

🟧 Prop your bedroom door open or disconnect the door closer.

 

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Waste and Recycling

When you move in, it's important to know your bin schedule and how to properly sort your bins. If your bins are overflowing or have the wrong things in them, they won't be collected, so it's important to start off on the right foot!

Here are some tips for managing your bins when you move in:

🟧 If you have wheelie bins, you can find out when they get collected here.

🟧 Check what goes in each bin! Find out how to separate your waste and recycling here.

🟧 If your recycling bins have been contaminated, or if you have a large item to dispose of, you can request a collection here.

🟧 Make sure your bins are numbered! You can pick up free bin numbers from our Pod.

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Non-Accredited Landlords

The safety of all of our students is paramount. The law requires the “responsible person” (landlords) to make adequate fire safety provisions, however, outside of the accreditation scheme, we have no way of checking the adequacy of the provisions that such landlords have in place. It is therefore very important that when choosing a place to rent, you check the arrangements by asking the following questions:

🟧 Has a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) been completed by an accredited Fire Risk Assessor? You are entitled to ask to see a copy.

🟧 When was it done and what significant findings were identified? (Note The FRA should be done annually).

🟧 Have the significant findings been rectified?

 

In addition to these questions you should check:

🟧 All four points listed in “What to look for” above.

🟧 Ask to see the testing records for the fire alarm (they should be tested weekly).

🟧 Check that fire extinguishers are tested (there should be a test date panel on all extinguishers and they should be tested annually).

🟧 Check the escape route from your potential rooms and the outside. There should be no obstructions or combustible materials on staircases, landings or corridors.

🟧 Are the exit signs clear and obvious?

If you are unsure of the answers to any of these questions or can see no evidence of fire safety being properly managed, do not entertain living there and find somewhere else that satisfies these requirements.

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